Massachusetts Real Estate Law Firm

Serving the North Shore and Greater Boston with Offices in Newburyport & Boston

“I was really nervous to purchase my first home but having Mike hold my hand and explain the entire process helped remove any fear and confusion I had and I felt a lot more confident knowing exactly what was happening and each document I was signing at the closing.

I am so happy that Mike was there to help me buy my new home. I now recommend him to all my friends looking to buy or sell their house.”*

Michael B. McCarthy, Attorney at Law

Welcome – my name is Michael B. McCarthy and I am a real estate attorney. My goal is to provide you and/or your clients with smooth, cost effective and efficient legal representation in the process of buying or selling a home.

Title and Escrow Services for Buyers, Sellers, Realtors and Lenders

My practice focuses on real estate law.

In today’s real estate market, buying and selling a home can be a complicated process, not to mention probably the single most expensive purchase or sale you or your client will ever make. Any number of issues can pop up with such a large undertaking. When this happens, we will work as a team to negotiate a favorable outcome for you and/or your client, resolving the matter and closing the deal without time-consuming and potential costly issues.

Why hire Me?

Superior Service and Personal Attention

When you hire me, your interests lie in the hands of a highly capable, experienced, real estate attorney. I devote more time and energy to each of my clients than most law firms do. Unlike other firms where the majority of the work and most communication is completed and directed to a paralegal or secretary, I will personally be working on your loan to close as quickly as possible without any miscommunication. When you call my office, you will be able to reach me because I pick up my own phone. And if by chance, you leave a message, I guarantee to return your call within 24 hours, with most calls returned by the end of the day.

Superior Turn Around Time

We will provide excellent professional customer service, open and first-rate communication, prompt title searches, accurate documentation, and timely disbursement of documents and funds.

24/7 Settlement Services

We offer settlement services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We will close at any time, day or night, and wherever the borrower chooses.

Reasonable Rates

It’s really very simple – I help you achieve your goals more efficiently and more economically than many other law firms. I do this by offering comparatively low fixed rates, through experience, and through first-hand attention to every aspect of your real estate matter.

Loan Disbursement Options

All parties have the option of having their funds wired or sent via overnight courier when disbursement occurs.

*This testimonial or endorsement does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your real estate transaction.

John O’Brien, the Southern Essex District Register of Deeds in Massachusetts, refused yesterday to accept two documents he considered to be signed by “robo-signers”. O’Brien refused two documents signed by Linda Green, a name that appears on nearly 300 other mortgage documents already on file at the Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds and on thousands of other mortgage documents being filed around the country.

O’Brien stated, “My Registry will not be a knowing participant in this fraud against homeowners. From today forward, lenders be on notice, the Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds will not record robo-signed documents.”

Looks like this is policy is catching on quickly. Guilford County, North Carolina Register of Deeds, Jeff Thigpen, joined O’Brien in refusing to accept such documents and issued a press release stating, “The basic question here is whether we as Recorders are going to sit on our hands, in the face of what appears to be clear fraud or are we going to stand up for 400 years of integrity and fair dealing in commerce? John [O’Brien] is on the right side of this question and these are reasonable actions. If we are ever going to return to basic fundamentals in our financial services system, now has to be time and we have a vital role to play.”

This is great news for borrowers and homeowners. Hopefully, this trend spreads quickly throughout Massachusetts and the country.

Five of the nation’s largest banks may potentially face up to $17 billion in civil lawsuits for improperly foreclosing on homeowners. The state attorneys general notified the banks that they face such an amount if they cannot successfully negotiate a settlement. The banks have proposed a settlement figure of $5 billion to assist homeowners who were improperly […]

Earlier this year, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts handed down a decision in the now famous case of U.S. Bank v. Ibanez, in which the SJC ruled that a foreclosing bank must actually hold the mortgage at the time of the foreclosure. The issue that occurred in the case and in countless others, was that at the time […]

Condo insurance, also known as HO-6 insurance, covers the interior and personal contents of your condo unit. Depending on the policy, most everything is insured from the inside of the walls of your unit or from the studs in, and all your personal belongings – this is why you may see on the insurance policy it state from the “studs […]

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court handed down on Monday its long-awaited ruling in the case of The Real Estate Bar Association for Massachusetts, Inc. (REBA) v. National Real Estate Information Services, Inc. (NREIS). The case revolved around whether NREIS, as an out-of-state non-attorney settlement service provider, was performing certain activities that would constitute the unauthorized practice […]

Reverse mortgage applicants are among the losers in the budget deal cutting $38 billion in spending that President Obama and Congressional Republicans worked out to avert a government shutdown. The eleventh-hour deal, which President Obama recently signed into law, cuts $88 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Developments (HUD) budget for loan counseling […]

New rules for loan officer compensation went into full effect on April 6, 2011 after a federal appeals court lifted an order staying their implementation. The rules are aimed at eliminating incentives for loan originators to “steer” borrowers into loans with higher interest rates which would produce higher commissions for the loan officer. The National Association of Independent […]

Advertising. In accordance with rules established by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, this web site must be labeled "advertising." It is designed to provide general information for clients and friends of the firm and should not be construed as legal advice, or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. By using this site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the attorney. The website should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state. Michael B. McCarthy is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts only.